1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a flush valve assembly and a check valve assembly and, more particularly to improved components, such as the ball member, plunger and retainer for use with a flush valve assembly, and the seal piston for use with the check valve assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known in the art, flush valve handles include ball members are usually of unitary steel construction with the handle of the flush valve assembly. For example, such ball members are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,254; 6,227,219 and 5,505,427; and United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0001123.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,299,128; 6,019,343; 4,134,570; 3,207,467 and 1,878,001 disclose various handle seal arrangements currently in use.
It is a continuing objective in the field of flush valve technology to improve upon components thereof. Improvements to such components would increase operating life cycles, decrease failure rates, reduce manufacturing costs, improve sealing efficiency, increase efficiency of assembly and/or installation and improve consistency between flushes and other values. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a smoother handle operation.
More specifically, the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is directed to a flush valve arrangement, generally indicated as 1, that includes a flush valve assembly 10 in fluid communication upstream to a control stop or flush valve check assembly 40.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,128, which is hereby incorporated by reference and referring to FIG. 2A, flush valves in water closets, urinals and other plumbing devices which utilize a flexible diaphragm to establish and to seal off the connection between the inlet and outlet are well-known in the art. FIG. 2A illustrates a typical prior art flush valve and diaphragm assembly generally illustrated as 10′. The flush valve and diaphragm assembly 10′ has a hollow body 11′, generally made of brass, which includes an inlet connection 12′, an outlet connection 14′ and a handle connection 16′. A barrel 18′ is positioned within the flush valve such that the connection between the inlet 12′ and the outlet 14′ is through the barrel 18′. An annular main valve seat 20′ is formed on a first or top end 21′ of the barrel 18′. The annular main valve seat 20′ is normally closed by a diaphragm 22′ extending across the body 11′ and defining an upper chamber 24′. The diaphragm 22′ has a bypass 26′ which provides fluid communication between the inlet side of the flush valve and the upper chamber 24′. The diaphragm 22′ is attached at its outer edge to the valve body and is clamped in place by an annular clamping rim on an outer cover 13′ of the body 11′. The diaphragm 22′ has an opening which allows for fluid communication between the upper chamber 24′ and the outlet connection 14′. A relief valve 28′ normally closes the opening at the center of the diaphragm 22′.
The operation of the flush valve and diaphragm assembly 10′ is generally as follows. In the normally closed position shown in FIG. 2A, water pressure at the valve inlet is communicated to the upper chamber 24′ through the bypass 26′. Since the surface area which is subjected to water pressure is greater on the upper side of the diaphragm 22′, the water pressure forces the diaphragm 22′ down onto the main valve seat 20′ preventing water from flowing to the outlet connection 14′. When the user moves a handle 30′ in any direction, a plunger 32′ moves inwardly tilting a stem 34′ of the relief valve 28′. This releases the pressure in upper chamber 24′ by allowing water to flow through a guide member 36′. With the upper chamber pressure relieved, the inlet water pressure forces the diaphragm 22′ upwardly, off the main valve seat 20′ allowing water to flow directly from the inlet connection 12′ through the barrel 18′ to the outlet connection 14′. When the diaphragm 22′ and the relief valve 28′ move upwardly, the relief valve 28′ resets itself, closing off the upper chamber 24′. Water will then flow through the bypass 26′ into the upper chamber 24′ until the diaphragm 22′ is again forced against the main valve seat 20′, thereby closing the valve. The guide member 36′ moves with the diaphragm 22′ and includes outwardly extending radial wing members 38′ which engage the inner surface of the barrel 18′ to guide the guide member 36′ and the attached diaphragm 22′ as the diaphragm 22′ moves up and down. The diaphragm 22′ defines a central passageway 39′ (i.e., hole). The bypass 26′ is radially spaced from the central passageway 39′.
Flush valves currently in use typically employ brass or other materials to form the ball member and/or plunger. These materials continue to become more expensive to obtain which translates into more expensive manufacturing costs for the production of the ball member and/or plunger. Additionally, it is desirable to reduce tooling costs whenever possible and to eliminate the number of individual working parts in the flush valve. Additionally, the flush file retainers currently in use can be difficult to center in the valve with respect to the socket coupling. Another disadvantage of the currently used flush file retainers is that a separate washer must be provided to seal the retainer against the handle seal. Additionally, upon replacement or repair of this component, care must be taken to assure that it will be trapped against the valve, otherwise inconsistent flushing can occur. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a flush file retainer design that can be readily centered in the valve, ensures consistent flushing of the flush valve, and adequately seals the retainer against the handle, while reducing the number of assembly components.
Flush valve arrangements 1, as discussed above typically include a check valve 40′, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, to control the amount of water relayed from the water source to the flush valve 10′. The check valve 40′ includes a threaded inlet 41′ connected to a water supply and a threaded outlet 42′ associated with the inlet connection 12′ of the flush valve assembly 10′. A valve seat 43′ is formed adjacent the inlet 41′ and a piston/seal 44′ is movable to close upon the valve seat 43′, thus shutting off the flow of water between the inlet 41′ and outlet 42′. Generally, water is able to enter the check valve 40′ from the source through the inlet 41′ and apply a force to the piston/seal 44′ in a first direction. A spring 45′ is provided to push the piston/seal 44′ in an opposition direction to maintain the piston/seal 44′ in a biased closed position. Once enough water pressure has built-up against the piston/seal 44′, the counter forces exerted by the spring 45′ are insufficient to maintain the seal against the opening 46′ of inlet 41′. Therefore, water begins to flow over and past the piston/seal 44′ towards the flush valve assembly 10′. During use of these piston/seal arrangements 44′, the seal can become degraded and leaks can occur between the seal 47′ and valve seat 43′. Additionally, difficulties may arise in the movement of the water past the piston/seal arrangement 44′ toward the flush valve assembly 10′. There is a need in the art for a piston/seal arrangement 44′ that can overcome these disadvantages of the prior art.